Tag Archives: california counties tsunami ready

Despite the 5,000 mile distance between the California coastline and Japan, our coastal community was affected by the March 2011 tsunami (and subsequent disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power facility.)

Photo Lolako.com

Between debris that washed up on the U.S. Western coastlines — and our worries of radiation contaminated items reaching our shores — to the bathtub effect that caused millions of dollars of damage to boats and property at the Santa Cruz harbor, the disaster originating thousands of miles away directly impacted us. It was another reminder of how small our world really is, and our interconnectedness …

Sailboats in the Santa Cruz Harbor crash against each other Friday morning as a tsunami surge sucks out muddy, backwater from the upper harbor. Photo by Dan Coyro/Sentinel

The California counties designated as TsunamiReady™ met NWS criteria, including developing a safety plan, setting up alert systems and promoting tsunami safety through public outreach.

Theaddition of the counties of Marin, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara and San Diego means there are now 8 counties listed as TsunamiReady™ in California.

The state of California is divided into 58 counties. The California coast covers 840 miles (1,350 km), and 15 of California’s 58 counties directly face the Pacific Ocean. These counties are:

Del Norte County

Humboldt County

Los Angeles County

Marin County

Mendocino County

Monterey County

Orange County

San Diego County

San Francisco County

San Luis Obispo County

San Mateo County

Santa Barbara County

Santa Cruz County

Sonoma County

Ventura County

Counties in bold are listed as TsunamiReady™. We will follow-up again next year to see if all of California’s coastal counties receive the TsunamiReady™ designation.

Do you live in one of California’s coastal communities? With this month marking the 3rd anniversary of the Japanese tsunami disaster, do you know — or care — if your community has a TsunamiReady™ designation?